インディアン

also: インデアン

イ

ン

ディ

ア

ン

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

American Indian; Native American

Refers to indigenous peoples of the Americas. In modern Japanese, アメリカ先住民 or ネイティブアメリカン are often preferred for clarity and respect, but インディアン remains widely understood.

See also: アメリカインディアン

彼かれはアメリカのインディアン居きょ留りゅう地ちを訪おとずれた。
He visited a Native American reservation in the United States.
インディアンの伝でん統とう的てきな踊おどりを見みたことがありますか。
Have you ever seen a traditional Native American dance?

noun-modifying (irregular)

Indian (of India)

Dated usage for people or things from India; modern Japanese almost always uses インド or インド人 instead. This sense may appear in older texts or fixed expressions.

Related words

ネイティブアメリカン sense 1
ネイティブアメリカン is the modern, respectful term for indigenous peoples of the Americas, while インディアン is an older term still widely understood but sometimes seen as less sensitive.
インド人じん sense 2
インド人 is the standard modern word for a person from India, whereas インディアン in this sense is a dated and rarely used term.

Counted with

人にん
counter for people

Word family

Written forms

インディアンUsage98%
Standard katakana spelling for American Indian/Native American and, in dated or specific contexts, for Indian (of India).
インデアンUsage2%
Less common variant spelling; learners are more likely to encounter インディアン.

Etymology

Borrowed from English 'Indian'. The word entered Japanese primarily through American cultural influence, hence its strong association with Native Americans. The sense referring to India is a direct loan from English but has fallen out of common use.